Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves - K.A. Merikan Page 0,141

fingers through Coal’s thinning coat.

Radek dared to smile. “I’ve been thinking about it during the photoshoot. Even a shit like Jess thought foxes were cute, and people would pay for the experience with them. And since they understand me, I could make it all work.

"Karolina, the vet, was saying that the fox sanctuary she knew of was over-capacity. I could transform the farm into one. You remember Iga from the club, right? She told me she hates her job in finance. That it was a disappointment, but she’s actually a really good marketer. Maybe if I was able to pay her, she’d take the leap of faith and come to Dybukowo, since she loves nature and all that.” Even talking about it was making him excited, and that could mean one thing: this was a good plan. For once he didn’t worry what would happen to the foxes next furring season, or how he could bear the uncertainty of their fate.

Yev’s smile widened. “You could be the fox whisperer. I love it, it’s a great idea.”

Radek grinned. "I can already see the Netflix special. Radek: The Fox King." He deflated when Yev didn't laugh and just watched him in expectation of a punchline. He continued, but could already see Yev was a lost cause. "Like the Tiger King? The gay zoo owner with two husbands? Yeeev! We'll watch it together."

Radek was so happy in the cozy bubble he, Yev, and Coal had made that he groaned at the sound of Yev’s landline, but one glance from his lover was enough to make Radek slide off him and pick up the handset. “Hello, this is Radek.”

He was surprised to hear a raspy female voice on the other end of the line. “Radek! So happy I got to you. Your Mother fell and broke her arm. She also hit her head, so they kept her at the hospital for observation.”

“What? When? I mean… which hospital?” he asked, and made note of the address, his head thudding with sudden heat.

Most importantly, it seemed that Mom was fine, but the news hit him like a truckload of bricks, and there was no escaping the fact that he’d fucked up. His mom wasn’t the nicest of people, their spats had often turned ugly, but in her convoluted way, she meant well, and Radek had to at least try to make some kind of amends.

He would have regretted it if the last thing he’d ever said to his mother was that he hated her.

Radek looked to Yev as soon as he finished talking to Mrs. Irena.

“Will you come with me to the hospital?” Because Yev had perfect hearing and undoubtedly got every detail of the conversation.

Yev put Coal down and stood. “I’ll follow you wherever you need to go.”

Chapter 26 – Radek

This wasn’t Mom’s first time in a hospital, but she’d been diagnosed while Dad was still alive, and whenever she needed medical attention since then, it had never been anything serious. Not serious enough to warrant the long trip from Cracow at least. But now that he walked the long corridor, tapping his feet against the laminate floor, his stomach was gradually shrinking with worry.

He’d never been fond of hospitals. Disliked their somber atmosphere, and felt guilty over ignoring all the elderly people walking the hallways in warm bathrobes.

The building was so quiet, and while the medical staff talked to one another as if it were any other day at the office, he sensed a growing tension the farther away he was from the main entrance.

Why, oh, why were hospitals so massive? It almost felt as if he might get lost somewhere in their underground level and never come back.

“Mrs. Irena said it’s just a precaution,” Yev said softly.

Radek realized he must have been giving off bad vibes, but it only made sense. The smell of disinfectant was getting to him and he wondered how many people died within these walls in the past month.

“I just… I instantly thought that maybe if I’d been home, she wouldn’t have fallen.”

Yev looked ahead, at a young man who pushed an elderly patient’s wheelchair while they chatted about their plans for Easter, and discreetly stroked Radek’s back. “It’s a big house, and you can’t be with her all the time.”

The box of chocolates Yev had made him buy downstairs was getting damp where Radek held it, but as they disinfected their hands and entered the appropriate ward, heat shot into Radek’s head, rendering him so useless Yev had